Places and periods of the largest battles of the Second World War. Major battles of the Great Patriotic War

The Second World War left its own small piece in the history of every nation. This truly terrifying and at the same time great period changed the world beyond recognition. Almost every country played its role in this war. For states former USSR The Second World War occupies a special place in history. It even has a completely different name - the Great Patriotic War. This historical period was truly a turning point for the peoples modern Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the USSR. This war became a test of the courage, bravery and will of the great Soviet people.

The Soviet army proved its professionalism and indestructibility even in the face of such a terrible ideological enemy as Nazism.

Today, historians are constantly discussing the main battles of the Great Patriotic War. Many facts have still not been disclosed, due to the “great love” for the secrets of the Soviet government. we can highlight the main stages and battles of the Great Patriotic War. But, before characterizing them, it is necessary to remember the reasons that led to the military conflict between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's USSR.

Great Patriotic War - reasons

As we know, the Second World War began. The main escalation of the conflict was from Germany in the West. During this time, German Nazism developed in its classical form. Hitler's power was limitless. Although the leader actually declared war on all states, the USSR was in no hurry to enter into it due to the concluded Non-Aggression Pact.

It was signed on August 23, 1939. The agreement stipulated the neutral attitude of the USSR to the war that Germany would wage against Western and European countries. Cooperation with other countries was also approved. Both parties were prohibited from participating in alliances that in one way or another were contrary to their interests. For such “tolerance” on the part of the Soviet Union, Germany pledged to return part of the territory it had lost. There is also a secret protocol in which the parties stipulated the division of power in Eastern Europe and Poland. In essence, this agreement was concluded with the aim of establishing mutual world domination. But there was one problem. From the very beginning, Germany did not want peace with the USSR. Of course, it was beneficial in the early stages of the war, but there was no talk of any mutual domination.

Germany's further actions can only be described in one word - betrayal. This vile step gave rise to the great battles of the Great Patriotic War. Already on June 22, 1941, Germany officially attacked the USSR. From this time on, the Great Patriotic War began. Next, we will look at the main battles of the Great Patriotic War, which play an important role in the history of this period.

Moscow Battle

Wehrmacht troops used specific offensive tactics. Their attack was based on the cooperation of all branches of the military. At first, the enemy was subjected to heavy bombardment from the air. The planes were immediately followed by tanks, which literally burned out the enemy troops. At the very end, the German infantry began its action. Thanks to these tactics, enemy troops, led by General Bock, made their way to the center of the Soviet Union, Moscow, in September 1941. At the very beginning of the offensive, the German army consisted of 71.5 divisions, which is approximately 1,700,000 people. It also included 1,800 tanks, 15,100 guns, and 1,300 aircraft. According to these indicators German side was about five times larger than the Soviet one.

On September 30, 1941, the Germans launch an attack on Moscow. From the very first stages of the Moscow offensive, the Wehrmacht troops suffered significant setbacks. Already on October 17, the Soviet army under the command of Zhukov stopped the offensive by implementing Operation Typhoon. The bloodless enemy only had the strength to fight a positional war, so in January 1942 the Germans were defeated and driven back 100 kilometers from Moscow. This victory dispelled the myth of the indestructibility of the Fuhrer's army. Moscow was the frontier that had to be overcome on the path to victory. The German army failed to cope with this task, so Hitler ultimately lost the war. But the battles of the Great Patriotic War do not end there. Below we will really look at crucial moment during this global conflict.

Battle of Stalingrad

Today we can highlight a lot of events for which the Great Patriotic War is known. The Battle of Stalingrad is the turning point that led to a devastating series of failures for the German army. The period of the Battle of Stalingrad can be divided into two stages: the beginning and the counteroffensive. On July 17, 1942, the famous Battle of Stalingrad began.

At this stage, German troops stopped in the city area. The Soviet army did not want to surrender it until the very end. The forces of the Soviet Union were also commanded by Marshal Timoshenko. They managed to completely paralyze the Germans, but the Soviet troops were surrounded. There were constant skirmishes in the city between small groups of Soviet and German soldiers. According to the recollections of veterans: “There was real hell in Stalingrad.” One of the Museums of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) houses a rather interesting exhibit: bullets hitting each other. This indicates the intensity of hostilities in the city. As for strategic significance, it actually did not exist. This city was important to Hitler as a symbol of Stalin's power. Therefore, it was necessary to take him, and most importantly, to keep him. It follows that the city became the center of a clash of interests during the period when the Great Patriotic War took place. The Battle of Stalingrad made it possible to evaluate and compare the power of two ideological titans of the 20th century.

Counterattack at Stalingrad

The German army, led by General Paulus, at the time of the counteroffensive numbered 1,010,600 men, 600 tanks, 1,200 combat aircraft and about 10,000 guns. On the Soviet side there was almost the same number of military personnel and military equipment. The significant forces that our side brought up during the siege allowed us to go on the offensive on November 20, 1942 and encircle the Germans.

By the evening of January 31, 1943, the Stalingrad German group was eliminated. Such results were achieved thanks to the coordinated work of the three main fronts of the USSR. The Battle of Stalingrad is glorified along with other major battles of the Great Patriotic War. Because this is an event in a significant way undermined the strength of the German army. In other words, after Stalingrad, Germany was never able to restore its fighting power. In addition, the German command could not even imagine that the city would emerge from encirclement. But this happened, and further events were not in the Fuhrer’s favor.

Great Patriotic War: Battle of Kursk

After the events in the city of Stalingrad, the German army was never able to recover, however, it still posed a serious threat. On (the formed front line after the victory at Stalingrad) German troops gathered a significant number of their forces. The Soviet side was going to carry out a powerful attack in the area of ​​​​the city of Kursk. In the early stages, German troops had significant victories. They were commanded by such famous German military leaders as G. Kluge and Manstein. The main task USSR troops were to prevent a new advance of the Nazi Army “Center” deep into the mainland. The situation changed radically on July 12, 1943.

Battle of Prokhorov 1943

They were unpredictable. One of these battles is the tank confrontation near the village of Prokhorovka. Over 1,000 tanks and self-propelled guns from both sides took part in it. After this battle, there were no questions left about who would prevail in the war. The German army was defeated, although not completely. After the Battle of Prokhorov, USSR troops were able to launch a large-scale attack on Belgorod and Kharkov. This actually ends the story of the Kursk confrontation, the largest battle of the Great Patriotic War, which opened the doors of the USSR to the conquest of Berlin.

Capture of Berlin 1945

The Berlin operation played the final role in the history of the German-Soviet confrontation. Its purpose was to defeat the German troops that had formed near the city of Berlin.

Near the city, the army of the "Center" group was stationed, as well as the military group "Vistula" under the command of Heinritz and Scherner. From the USSR side, an army came out consisting of three fronts under the command of Marshals Zhukov, Konev and Rokossovsky. The capture of Berlin ended with German surrender on May 9, 1945.

The main battles of the Great Patriotic War are ending at this stage. Just a few months later, namely on September 2, 1945, the Second World War ended.

Conclusion

So, the article examined the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War. The list can be supplemented with other equally important and famous events, but our article identifies the most epic and memorable battles. Today it is impossible to imagine a person who would not know about the feat of the great Soviet soldiers.

The heroism and courage of Soviet soldiers shown during the battles of the Great Patriotic War deserve eternal memory. The wisdom of military leaders, which became one of the most important components of the overall victory, continues to amaze us today.

Behind long years There were so many battles during the war that even some historians disagree on the meaning of certain battles. And yet, the largest battles, which have a significant impact on the further course of military operations, are known to almost every person. It is these battles that will be discussed in our article.

World War II, Great Patriotic War. It was the most cruel and bloody war in human history.

During this massacre, more than 60 million citizens of different countries of the world died. Historian scientists have calculated that every war month, an average of 27 thousand tons of bombs and shells fell on the heads of military and civilians on both sides of the front!

Let's remember today, on Victory Day, the 10 most formidable battles of World War II.

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It was the largest air battle in history. The Germans' goal was to gain air superiority over the British Royal Air Force in order to invade the British Isles without opposition. The battle was fought exclusively by combat aircraft of the opposing sides. Germany lost 3,000 of its pilots, England - 1,800 pilots. Over 20,000 British civilians were killed. Germany's defeat in this battle is considered one of the decisive moments in World War II - it did not allow the elimination of the USSR's Western allies, which subsequently led to the opening of a second front.

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The longest long battle of World War II. During naval battles, German submarines attempted to sink Soviet and British supply ships and warships. The Allies responded in kind. Everyone understood the special significance of this battle - on the one hand, Western weapons and equipment were supplied to the Soviet Union by sea, on the other hand, Britain was supplied with everything necessary mainly by sea - the British needed up to a million tons of all kinds of materials and food in order to survive and continue the fight . The cost of the victory of the members of the anti-Hitler coalition in the Atlantic was enormous and terrible - about 50,000 of its sailors died, and the same number of German sailors lost their lives.

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This battle began after German troops, at the end of World War II, made a desperate (and, as history shows, last) attempt to turn the tide of hostilities in their favor, organizing an offensive operation against Anglo-American troops in the mountainous and wooded terrain in Belgium under code name Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine). Despite all the experience of British and American strategists, the massive German attack took the Allies by surprise. However, the offensive ultimately failed. Germany lost more than 100 thousand of its soldiers and officers killed in this operation, and the Anglo-American allies lost about 20 thousand military personnel killed.

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Marshal Zhukov wrote in his memoirs: “When people ask me what I remember most from last war, I always answer: the battle for Moscow.” Hitler considered the capture of Moscow, the capital of the USSR and the largest Soviet city, as one of the main military and political goals of Operation Barbarossa. In German and Western military history it is known as "Operation Typhoon". This battle is divided into two periods: defensive (September 30 - December 4, 1941) and offensive, which consists of 2 stages: counteroffensive (December 5-6, 1941 - January 7-8, 1942) and the general offensive of Soviet troops (January 7-10 - April 20, 1942). The losses of the USSR were 926.2 thousand people, the losses of Germany were 581 thousand people.

LANDING OF THE ALLIES IN NORMANDY, OPENING OF THE SECOND FRONT (FROM JUNE 6, 1944 TO JULY 24, 1944)

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This battle, which became part of Operation Overlord, marked the beginning of the deployment of a strategic group of Anglo-American allied forces in Normandy (France). British, American, Canadian and French units took part in the invasion. The landing of the main forces from Allied warships was preceded by a massive bombardment of German coastal fortifications and the landing of paratroopers and gliders on the positions of selected Wehrmacht units. Allied Marines landed on five beaches. Considered one of the largest amphibious operations in history. Both sides lost more than 200 thousand of their troops.

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The last strategic offensive operation of the armed forces of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War turned out to be one of the bloodiest. It became possible as a result of a strategic breakthrough of the German front by units of the Red Army carrying out the Vistula-Oder offensive operation. It ended with complete victory over Nazi Germany and the surrender of the Wehrmacht. During the battles for Berlin, the losses of our army amounted to more than 80 thousand soldiers and officers, the Nazis lost 450 thousand of their military personnel.

The bloodiest battle in human history is Stalingrad. Nazi Germany lost 841,000 soldiers in the battle. USSR losses amounted to 1,130,000 people. Accordingly, the total number of deaths was 1,971,000 people.

By mid-summer 1942, the battles of the Great Patriotic War had reached the Volga. The German command also included Stalingrad in the plan for a large-scale offensive in the south of the USSR (Caucasus, Crimea). Hitler wanted to implement this plan in just a week with the help of Paulus's 6th Field Army. It included 13 divisions, with about 270,000 people, 3 thousand guns and about five hundred tanks. On the USSR side, German forces were opposed by the Stalingrad Front. It was created by decision of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on July 12, 1942 (commander - Marshal Timoshenko, since July 23 - Lieutenant General Gordov).

On August 23, German tanks approached Stalingrad. From that day on, fascist aircraft began to systematically bomb the city. The battles on the ground also did not subside. The defending troops were ordered to hold the city with all their might. Every day the fighting became more and more fierce. All houses were turned into fortresses. The battles took place over floors, basements, and individual walls.

By November, the Germans had captured almost the entire city. Stalingrad was turned into complete ruins. The defending troops held only a low strip of land - a few hundred meters along the banks of the Volga. Hitler hastened to announce to the whole world the capture of Stalingrad.

On September 12, 1942, at the height of the battles for the city, the General Staff began developing the offensive Operation Uranus. Marshal G.K. Zhukov was involved in its planning. The plan was to strike the flanks of the German wedge, which was defended by Allied troops (Italians, Romanians and Hungarians). Their formations were poorly armed and did not have high morale. Within two months, near Stalingrad, in conditions of the deepest secrecy, a strike force was created. The Germans understood the weakness of their flanks, but could not imagine that the Soviet command would be able to assemble such a number of combat-ready units.

On November 19, the Red Army, after powerful artillery preparation, launched an offensive with tank and mechanized units. Having overthrown Germany's allies, on November 23, Soviet troops closed the ring, surrounding 22 divisions numbering 330 thousand soldiers.

Hitler rejected the option of retreat and ordered the commander-in-chief of the 6th Army, Paulus, to begin defensive battles in encirclement. The Wehrmacht command tried to release the encircled troops with a strike from the Don Army under the command of Manstein. There was an attempt to organize an air bridge, which was stopped by our aviation. The Soviet command presented an ultimatum to the encircled units. Realizing the hopelessness of their situation, on February 2, 1943, the remnants of the 6th Army in Stalingrad surrendered.

2 "Verdun Meat Grinder"

The Battle of Verdun was one of the largest and one of the bloodiest military operations in the First World War. It took place from February 21 to December 18, 1916 between the troops of France and Germany. Each side tried unsuccessfully to break through the enemy's defenses and launch a decisive offensive. During the nine months of battle, the front line remained virtually unchanged. Neither side achieved a strategic advantage. It was no coincidence that contemporaries called the Battle of Verdun a “meat grinder.” 305,000 soldiers and officers on both sides lost their lives in a futile confrontation. The losses of the French army, including killed and wounded, amounted to 543 thousand people, and the German army - 434 thousand. 70 French and 50 German divisions passed through the “Verdun meat grinder”.

After a series of bloody battles on both fronts in 1914-1915, Germany did not have the forces to attack on a wide front, so the goal of the offensive was a powerful blow in a narrow area - in the area of ​​​​the Verdun fortified area. Breaking through the French defense, encircling and defeating 8 French divisions would mean free passage to Paris, followed by the surrender of France.

On a small section of the front 15 km long, Germany concentrated 6.5 divisions against 2 French divisions. To maintain a continuous offensive, additional reserves could be introduced. The skies were cleared of French aircraft so that German fire spotters and bombers could operate unhindered.

The Verdun operation began on February 21. After a massive 8-hour artillery preparation, German troops went on the offensive on the right bank of the Meuse River, but met stubborn resistance. The German infantry led the attack in dense combat formations. During the first day of the offensive, German troops advanced 2 km and occupied the first French position. In the following days, the offensive was carried out according to the same pattern: during the day the artillery destroyed the next position, and by the evening the infantry occupied it.

By February 25, the French had lost almost all of their forts. The Germans managed to take the important fort of Douaumont almost without resistance. However, the French command took measures to eliminate the threat of encirclement of the Verdun fortified area. Along the only highway connecting Verdun with the rear, troops from other sectors of the front were transferred in 6,000 vehicles. During the period from February 27 to March 6, about 190 thousand soldiers and 25 thousand tons of military cargo were delivered to Verdun by vehicles. The advance of the German troops was stopped by almost one and a half superiority in manpower.

The battle became protracted; from March the Germans transferred the main blow to the left bank of the river. After intense fighting, German troops managed to advance only 6-7 km by May.

The last attempt to capture Verdun was made by the Germans on June 22, 1916. They acted, as always, according to a template: first, a powerful artillery barrage was followed by the use of gas, then the thirty-thousandth German vanguard went on the attack, acting with the desperation of the doomed. The advancing vanguard managed to destroy the opposing French division and even take Fort Tiamon, located only three kilometers north of Verdun, the walls of the Verdun Cathedral were already visible ahead, but there was simply no one to continue the attack further, the advancing German troops were killed on the battlefield almost completely, reserves ran out, the general offensive floundered.

The Brusilov breakthrough on the Eastern Front and the Entente operation on the Somme River forced German troops to go on the defensive in the fall, and on October 24, French troops went on the offensive and by the end of December reached the positions they occupied on February 25, pushing the enemy 2 km from Fort Douamont.

The battle did not bring any tactical or strategic results - by December 1916, the front line had moved to the lines occupied by both armies by February 25, 1916.

3 Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the First World War, with more than 1,000,000 people killed and wounded, making it one of the deadliest battles in human history. On the first day of the campaign alone, July 1, 1916, the British landing force lost 60,000 people. The operation dragged on for five months. The number of divisions participating in the battle increased from 33 to 149. As a result, French losses amounted to 204,253 people, British - 419,654 people, a total of 623,907 people, of which 146,431 people were killed and missing. German losses amounted to more than 465,000 people, of which 164,055 were killed and missing.

The offensive plan on all fronts, including the Western, was developed and approved at the beginning of March 1916 in Chantilly. The combined army of the French and British was supposed to launch an attack on fortified German positions in early July, and the Russian and Italian 15 days earlier. In May, the plan was significantly changed; the French, having lost over half a million soldiers killed at Verdun, could no longer field in the upcoming battle the number of soldiers that the allies demanded. As a result, the length of the front was reduced from 70 to 40 kilometers.

On June 24, British artillery began intensive shelling of German positions near the Somme River. As a result of this shelling, the Germans lost more than half of all their artillery and the entire first line of defense, after which they immediately began to pull reserve divisions into the breakthrough area.

On July 1, as planned, the infantry was launched, which easily overcame the practically destroyed first line of German troops, but when moving to the second and third positions, it lost a huge number of soldiers and was driven back. On this day, over 20 thousand British and French soldiers died, more than 35 thousand were seriously injured, some of them were taken prisoner. At the same time, the outnumbered French not only captured and held the second line of defense, but also took Barle, however, leaving it a few hours later, since the commander was not ready for such a rapid development of events and ordered a retreat. A new offensive on the French sector of the front began only on July 5, but by this time the Germans had pulled several additional divisions to this area, as a result several thousand soldiers died, but the city that was so recklessly abandoned was not taken. The French tried to capture Barle from the moment of their retreat in July until October.

Just a month after the start of the battle, the British and French lost so many soldiers that 9 additional divisions were brought into the battle, while Germany transferred as many as 20 divisions to the Somme. By August, against 500 British aircraft, the Germans were able to field only 300, and against 52 divisions, only 31.

The situation for Germany became greatly complicated after the Russian troops carried out the Brusilov breakthrough; the German command exhausted all its reserves and was forced to switch to a planned defense from last bit of strength, not only on the Somme, but also near Verdun.

Under these conditions, the British decided to make another breakthrough attempt, scheduled for September 3, 1916. After the artillery shelling, all available reserves, including French ones, were brought into action, and on September 15, tanks went into battle for the first time. In total, the command had about 50 tanks with a well-trained crew at its disposal, but only 18 of them actually took part in the battle. A big miscalculation of the designers and developers of the tank offensive was discarding the fact that the area near the river was swampy, and the bulky, clumsy tanks simply could not get out of the swampy quagmire. However, the British were able to advance several tens of kilometers deep into enemy positions and on September 27 they were able to capture the heights between the Somme River and the small Ancre River.

A further offensive made no sense, since the exhausted soldiers would not have been able to hold the positions they had regained, therefore, despite several offensive attempts made in October, in fact, since November, no military operations had been carried out in this area, and the operation was completed.

4 Battle of Leipzig

The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, is the largest battle in the series of Napoleonic Wars and in world history before the First World War. According to rough estimates, the French army lost 70-80 thousand soldiers near Leipzig, of which approximately 40 thousand were killed and wounded, 15 thousand prisoners, another 15 thousand were captured in hospitals and up to 5 thousand Saxons went over to the Allied side. According to the French historian T. Lenz, the losses of the Napoleonic army amounted to 70 thousand killed, wounded and prisoners, another 15-20 thousand German soldiers went over to the side of the Allies. In addition to combat losses, the lives of soldiers of the retreating army were claimed by a typhus epidemic. Allied losses amounted to up to 54 thousand killed and wounded, of which up to 23 thousand Russians, 16 thousand Prussians, 15 thousand Austrians and 180 Swedes.

From October 16 to 19, 1813, a battle took place near Leipzig between the armies of Napoleon I and the sovereigns united against him: Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish. The forces of the latter were divided into three armies: Bohemian (main), Silesian and northern, but of these, only the first two took part in the battle on October 16. The bloody actions of that day did not bring any significant results.

On October 17, both warring sides remained inactive, and only on the northern side of Leipzig did a cavalry skirmish occur. During this day, the position of the French deteriorated significantly, since only one corps of Rainier (15 thousand) came to reinforce them, and the allies were strengthened by the newly arrived northern army. Napoleon found out about this, but did not dare to retreat, because, retreating, he left the possessions of his ally, the King of Saxony, at the mercy of the enemies, and finally abandoned the French garrisons scattered at different points on the Vistula, Oder and Elbe to the mercy of fate. By the evening of the 17th, he pulled his troops to new positions, closer to Leipzig; on October 18, the allies resumed their attack along the entire line, but, despite the enormous superiority of their forces, the result of the battle was again far from decisive: on Napoleon’s right wing all attacks of the Bohemian army were repulsed; in the center the French ceded several villages and moved back to Leipzig; left wing they held their positions north of Leipzig; in the rear, the French retreat route to Weissenfels remained clear.

The main reasons for the small success of the Allies were the timing of their attacks and the inaction of the reserve, which Prince Schwarzenberg was unable or unwilling to use properly, contrary to the insistence of Emperor Alexander. Meanwhile, Napoleon, taking advantage of the fact that the route of retreat remained open, began to send back his convoys and separate units of troops even before noon, and on the night of 18-19 the entire French army retreated to Leipzig and beyond. For the defense of the city itself, 4 corps were left. The commander of the rearguard, MacDonald, was ordered to hold out until at least 12 o'clock the next day, and then retreat, blowing up the only bridge on the Elster River behind him.

On the morning of October 19, a new Allied attack followed. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, the allied monarchs could already enter the city, in some parts of which fierce battle was still in full swing. Due to a disastrous mistake for the French, the bridge on Elster was blown up prematurely. The cut-off troops of their rearguard were partly captured, and partly died trying to escape by swimming across the river.

The Battle of Leipzig, due to the size of the forces of both sides (Napoleon had 190 thousand, with 700 guns; the Allies had up to 300 thousand and more than 1300 guns) and due to its enormous consequences, is called by the Germans “the battle of the nations.” The consequence of this battle was the liberation of Germany and the fall of the troops of the Confederation of the Rhine from Napoleon.

5 Battle of Borodino

The Battle of Borodino is considered the bloodiest one-day battle in history. During it, every hour, according to the most conservative estimates, about 6 thousand people were killed or injured. During the battle, the Russian army lost about 30% of its strength, the French - about 25%. In absolute numbers, this is about 60 thousand killed on both sides. But, according to some reports, up to 100 thousand people were killed during the battle and died later from injuries.

The Battle of Borodino took place 125 kilometers west of Moscow, near the village of Borodino, on August 26 (September 7, old style) 1812. French troops under the leadership of Napoleon I Bonaparte invaded the territory of the Russian Empire in June 1812 and by the end of August reached the capital itself. Russian troops were constantly retreating and, naturally, caused great discontent both among society and Emperor Alexander I himself. To turn the situation around, Commander-in-Chief Barclay de Tolly was removed, and Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov took his place. But also a new leader Russian army chose to retreat: on the one hand, he wanted to wear down the enemy, on the other, Kutuzov was waiting for reinforcements to give a general battle. After the retreat near Smolensk, Kutuzov’s army settled down near the village of Borodino - there was nowhere to retreat further. It was here that the most famous battle of the entire Patriotic War of 1812 took place.

At 6 am, French artillery opened fire along the entire front. The French troops lined up for the attack launched their onslaught on the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. Desperately resisting, the regiment retreated beyond the Koloch River. The flashes, which would become known as the Bagrationovs, protected the chasseur regiments of Prince Shakhovsky from encircling. Ahead, the rangers also lined up in a cordon. Major General Neverovsky's division occupied positions behind the flushes.

The troops of Major General Duka occupied the Semenovsky Heights. This sector was attacked by the cavalry of Marshal Murat, the troops of Marshals Ney and Davout, and the corps of General Junot. The number of attackers reached 115 thousand people.

The course of the Battle of Borodino, after the repelled attacks of the French at 6 and 7 o'clock, continued with another attempt to take flushes on the left flank. By that time, they were reinforced by the Izmailovsky and Lithuanian regiments, Konovnitsin’s division and cavalry units. On the French side, it was in this area that serious artillery forces were concentrated - 160 guns. However, subsequent attacks (at 8 and 9 am) were, despite the incredible intensity of the fighting, completely unsuccessful. The French briefly managed to capture flushes at 9 am. But they were soon driven out from the Russian fortifications by a powerful counterattack. The dilapidated flashes stubbornly held on, repelling subsequent enemy attacks.

Konovnitsin withdrew his troops to Semenovskoye only after holding these fortifications ceased to be necessary. The Semenovsky ravine became the new line of defense. The exhausted troops of Davout and Murat, who did not receive reinforcements (Napoleon did not dare to bring the Old Guard into the battle), were unable to carry out a successful attack.

The situation was extremely difficult in other areas as well. Kurgan Heights was attacked at the same time that the battle for taking flushes was raging on the left flank. Raevsky's battery held the height, despite the powerful onslaught of the French under the command of Eugene Beauharnais. After reinforcements arrived, the French were forced to retreat.

The actions on the right flank were no less intense. Lieutenant General Uvarov and Ataman Platov, with a cavalry raid deep into enemy positions, carried out at about 10 o’clock in the morning, drew off significant French forces. This made it possible to weaken the onslaught along the entire front. Platov was able to reach the rear of the French (Valuevo area), which suspended the offensive in the central direction. Uvarov made an equally successful maneuver in the Bezzubovo area.

The Battle of Borodino lasted all day and began to gradually subside only at 6 o’clock in the evening. Another attempt to bypass Russian positions was successfully repulsed by soldiers of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment in the Utitsky Forest. After this, Napoleon gave the order to retreat to their original positions. The Battle of Borodino lasted more than 12 hours.

Invaders came from both the West and the East. They spoke different languages, they had different weapons. But their goals were the same - to ruin and plunder the country, to kill or take its inhabitants into captivity and slavery.

Today, in connection with this holiday, we decided to remember the most significant battles in the history of our Fatherland. If we forgot something, you can write it in the comments.

1. Defeat of the Khazar Kaganate (965)

Khazar Khaganate for a long time was the main rival of the Russian state. The unification of Slavic tribes around Rus', many of which had previously been dependent on Khazaria, could not but increase tension in relations between the two powers.

In 965, Prince Svyatoslav subjugated the Khazar Khaganate to his power, and then organized a campaign against the strong tribal union of the Vyatichi, who paid tribute to the Khazars. Svyatoslav Igorevich defeated the army of the Kagan in battle and raided his entire state, from the Volga to North Caucasus. Important Khazar cities were annexed to Rus' - the fortress of Sarkel (White Vezha) on the Don, which controlled the route from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea (now at the bottom of the Tsimlyansk Reservoir), and the port of Tmutarakan on the Taman Peninsula. The Black Sea Khazars fell into the sphere of Russian influence. The remnants of the Kaganate on the Volga were destroyed in the 11th century by the Polovtsians.

2. Battle of the Neva (1240)

The Novgorod prince was only 19 years old when, in the summer of 1240, Swedish ships, probably led by Birger Magnusson, entered the mouth of the Neva. Knowing that Novgorod was deprived of the support of the southern principalities, the Swedes, instructed from Rome, hoped, at a minimum, to seize all the lands north of the Neva, simultaneously converting both pagans and Orthodox Karelians to Catholicism.

Young Novgorod prince led a lightning attack by his squad and destroyed the Swedes' camp before they had time to strengthen it. When getting ready for the campaign, Alexander was in such a hurry that he did not gather all the Novgorodians who wanted to join, believing that speed would be decisive, and he turned out to be right. In the battle, Alexander fought in the front ranks.

The decisive victory over superior forces brought Prince Alexander great fame and the honorary nickname - Nevsky.

However, the Novgorod boyars feared the growing influence of the prince and tried to remove him from governing the city. Soon Alexander left Novgorod, but within a year the threat new war forced the Novgorodians to turn to him again.

3. Battle of the Ice (1242)

In 1242, German knights from the Livonian Order captured Pskov and approached Novgorod. The Novgorodians, who had quarreled with Prince Alexander a year before, turned to him for help and again transferred power to him. The prince gathered an army, expelled the enemies from the Novgorod and Pskov lands and went to Lake Peipsi.

On the ice of the lake in 1242, in a battle known as the Battle of the Ice, Alexander Yaroslavich destroyed an army of German knights. The Russian riflemen, despite the onslaught of the Germans who were breaking through the regiments in the center, bravely resisted the attackers. This courage helped the Russians surround the knights from the flanks and win. Pursuing the survivors for seven miles, Alexander showed the firmness of the Russian army. Victory in the battle led to the signing of a peace agreement between Novgorod and the Livonian Order.

4. Battle of Kulikovo (1380)

The Battle of Kulikovo, which took place on September 8, 1380, was a turning point that showed the strength of the united Russian army and the ability of Rus' to resist the Horde.

The conflict between Mamai and Dmitry Donskoy became more and more aggravated. The Principality of Moscow strengthened, Rus' won many victories over the troops of the Horde. Donskoy did not listen to Mamai when he gave Prince Mikhail Tverskoy a label for Vladimir, and then stopped paying tribute to the Horde. All this could not help but lead Mamai to the idea of ​​the need for a quick victory over the enemy who was gaining strength.

In 1378, he sent an army against Dmitry, but it was defeated on the Vozha River. Soon Mamai lost influence on the Volga lands due to the invasion of Tokhtamysh. In 1380, the Horde commander decided to attack the Donskoy army in order to completely defeat his forces.

On September 8, 1380, when the armies clashed, it became clear that there would be a lot of losses on both sides. The legendary exploits of Alexander Peresvet, Mikhail Brenok and Dmitry Donskoy were described in “The Tale of the Massacre of Mamaev.” The turning point for the battle was the moment when Bobrok ordered to delay the ambush regiment, and then cut off the retreat of the Tatars who had broken through to the river. The Horde cavalry was driven into the river and destroyed, meanwhile the remaining forces mixed up other enemy troops, and the Horde began to retreat in disorder. Mamai fled, realizing that he no longer had the strength to continue the fight. According to various estimates, on September 8, 1380, from 40 to 70 thousand Russians and from 90 to 150 thousand Horde troops fought in the decisive battle. The victory of Dmitry Donskoy significantly weakened Golden Horde, which predetermined its further collapse.

5. Standing on the Ugra (1480)

This event marks the end of the Horde's influence on the politics of the Russian princes.

In 1480, after Ivan III tore up the khan's label, Khan Akhmat, having concluded an alliance with the Lithuanian prince Casimir, moved to Rus'. Seeking to unite with the Lithuanian army, on October 8 he approached the Ugra River, a tributary of the Oka. Here he was met by the Russian army.

Akhmat's attempt to cross the Ugra was repulsed in a four-day battle. Then the khan began to wait for the Lithuanians. Ivan III, in order to gain time, began negotiations with him. At this time, the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray, an ally of Moscow, attacked the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which did not allow Casimir to help Akhmat. On October 20, the regiments of his brothers, Boris and Andrei Bolshoi, came to reinforce Ivan III. Having learned about this, Akhmat turned his army back to the steppe on November 11. Soon Akhmat was killed in the Horde. So Rus' finally broke the Horde yoke and gained independence.

6. Battle of Molodi (1572)

On July 29, 1572, the Battle of Molodi began - a battle whose outcome decided the course of Russian history.

The situation before the battle was very unfavorable. The main forces of the Russian army were stuck in a fierce struggle in the west with Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was possible to gather only a small zemstvo army and guardsmen under the command of Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Vorotynsky and governor Dmitry Ivanovich Khvorostinin against the Tatars. They were joined by a 7,000-strong detachment of German mercenaries and Don Cossacks. The total number of Russian troops was 20,034 people.

To fight the Tatar cavalry, Prince Vorotynsky decided to use the “walk-gorod” - a mobile fortress, behind the walls of which archers and gunners took refuge. Russian troops not only stopped the enemy, which was six times superior, but also put him to flight. The Crimean-Turkish army of Devlet-Girey was almost completely destroyed.

Only 20 thousand horsemen returned to Crimea, and none of the Janissaries escaped. The Russian army, including the oprichnina army, also suffered heavy losses. In the fall of 1572, the oprichnina regime was abolished. The heroic victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Molodin - the last major battle between Rus' and the Steppe - was of enormous geopolitical significance. Moscow was saved from complete destruction, and Russian state- from defeat and loss of independence. Russia retained control over the entire course of the Volga - the most important trade and transport artery. The Nogai horde, convinced of the weakness of the Crimean Khan, broke away from him.

7. Battle of Moscow (1612)

The Battle of Moscow became the decisive episode of the Time of Troubles. The occupation of Moscow was lifted by the forces of the Second Militia, led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. The garrison, completely blocked in the Kremlin and Kitai-Gorod, having received no help from King Sigismund III, began to experience an acute shortage of provisions, it even reached the point of cannibalism. On October 26, the remnants of the occupation detachment surrendered to the mercy of the winner.

Moscow was liberated. “The hope of taking possession of the entire Moscow state collapsed irrevocably,” wrote a Polish chronicler.

8. Battle of Poltava (1709)

On June 27, 1709, the general battle of the Northern War took place near Poltava with the participation of 37,000-strong Swedish and 60,000-strong Russian armies. Little Russian Cossacks participated in the battle on both sides, but most fought for the Russians. The Swedish army was almost completely destroyed. Charles XII and Mazepa fled to Turkish possessions in Moldavia.

Sweden's military forces were undermined, and its army was forever left among the best in the world. After the Battle of Poltava, Russia's superiority became obvious. Denmark and Poland resumed participation in the Nordic Alliance. Soon the end of Swedish domination in the Baltic was put to an end.

9. Battle of Chesme (1770)

The decisive naval battle in Chesme Bay took place at the height of the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774.

Despite the fact that the balance of forces in the battle was 30/73 (not in favor of the Russian fleet), the competent command of Alexei Orlov and the valor of our sailors allowed the Russians to gain strategic superiority in the battle.

The Turkish flagship Burj-u-Zafer was set on fire, followed by many more ships. Turkish fleet.

Chesmen was a triumph for the Russian fleet, secured the blockade of the Dardanelles and seriously disrupted Turkish communications in the Aegean Sea.

10. Battle of Kozludzhi (1774)

During Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774 Russia achieved another important victory. The Russian army under the command of Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kamensky near the city of Kozludzha (now Suvorovo in Bulgaria), with an unequal balance of forces (24 thousand versus 40 thousand), was able to win. Alexander Suvorov managed to knock the Turks out of the hill and put them to flight without even resorting to a bayonet attack. This victory largely determined the outcome of the Russian-Turkish war and forced the Ottoman Empire to sign a peace treaty.

11. Capture of Ishmael (1790)

On December 22, 1790, Russian troops under the command of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov stormed the previously impregnable Turkish fortress of Izmail.

Shortly before the war, with the help of French and German engineers, Izmail was turned into a fairly powerful fortress. Defended by a large garrison, it withstood two sieges undertaken by Russian troops without any particular difficulties.

Suvorov took command just 8 days before the final assault. He devoted all the remaining time to training soldiers. The troops trained to overcome obstacles and ramparts specially created near the Russian camp, and practiced hand-to-hand combat techniques on stuffed animals.

A day before the assault, a powerful artillery shelling of the city began from all guns. It was fired upon both from land and sea.

At 3 a.m., long before dawn, a flare was launched. This was a sign of preparation for the assault. Russian troops left the location and formed into three detachments of three columns.

At half past five the soldiers launched an attack. The fortress was attacked from all sides at once. By four o'clock the resistance had been completely suppressed in all parts of the city. impregnable fortress fell.

The Russians lost more than 2,000 soldiers killed and about 3,000 wounded in the battle. Significant losses. But they could not be compared with the losses of the Turks - they only lost about 26,000 people killed. The news of the capture of Ishmael spread throughout Europe like lightning.

The Turks realized the complete futility of further resistance and signed the Treaty of Jassy the following year. They renounced claims to Crimea and a protectorate over Georgia, and ceded part of the Black Sea region to Russia. The border between Russian and Ottoman Empires moved back to the Dniester. True, Ishmael had to be returned back to the Turks.

In honor of the capture of Izmail, Derzhavin and Kozlovsky wrote the song “Thunder of Victory, Ring Out!” Until 1816 she remained unofficial anthem Empire.

12. Battle of Cape Tendra (1790)

The commander of the Turkish squadron, Hasan Pasha, managed to convince the Sultan of imminent defeat navy Russia, and at the end of August 1790 moved the main forces to Cape Tendra (not far from modern Odessa). However, for the anchored Turkish fleet, the rapid approach of the Russian squadron under the command of Fyodor Ushakov was an unpleasant surprise. Despite the superiority in the number of ships (45 versus 37), the Turkish fleet tried to flee. However, by that time, Russian ships had already attacked the front line of the Turks. Ushakov managed to remove all the flagship ships of the Turkish fleet from the battle and thereby demoralize the rest of the enemy squadron. The Russian fleet did not lose a single ship.

13. Battle of Borodino (1812)

On August 26, 1812, significant forces of the French and Russian armies clashed in the battle near the village of Borodino, 125 kilometers west of Moscow. The regular troops under the command of Napoleon numbered about 137 thousand people, the army of Mikhail Kutuzov with the Cossacks and militia that joined it reached 120 thousand. The rugged terrain made it possible to move reserves unnoticed, and to install artillery batteries on hills.

On August 24, Napoleon approached the Shevardinsky redoubt, which stood near the village of the same name, three miles in front of the Borodino field.

The Battle of Borodino began a day after the battle at the Shevardinsky redoubt and became the largest battle in the War of 1812. The losses on both sides were colossal: the French lost 28 thousand people, the Russians - 46.5 thousand.

Although Kutuzov gave the order to retreat to Moscow after the battle, in his report to Alexander I he called the Russian army the winner of the battle. Many Russian historians think so.

French scientists see the battle at Borodino differently. In their opinion, “in the Battle of the Moscow River” Napoleonic troops won. Napoleon himself, reflecting on the results of the battle, said: “The French showed themselves worthy of victory, and the Russians acquired the right to be invincible.”

14. Battle of Elisavetpol (1826)

One of the key episodes of the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828 was the battle near Elisavetpol (now the Azerbaijani city of Ganja). The victory then achieved by Russian troops under the command of Ivan Paskevich over the Persian army of Abbas Mirza became an example of military leadership. Paskevich managed to use the confusion of the Persians who had fallen into the ravine to launch a counterattack. Despite the superior enemy forces (35 thousand against 10 thousand), the Russian regiments began to push back Abbas Mirza’s army along the entire front of the attack. The losses of the Russian side amounted to 46 killed, the Persians were missing 2,000 people.

15. Capture of Erivan (1827)

The fall of the fortified city of Erivan was the culmination of numerous Russian attempts to establish control over the Transcaucasus. Built in the middle of the 16th century, the fortress was considered impregnable and more than once became a stumbling block for the Russian army. Ivan Paskevich managed to competently besiege the city from three sides, placing cannons along the entire perimeter. “The Russian artillery acted wonderfully,” recalled the Armenians remaining in the fortress. Paskevich knew exactly where the Persian positions were located. On the eighth day of the siege, Russian soldiers burst into the city and dealt with the fortress garrison with bayonets.

16. Battle of Sarykamysh (1914)

By December 1914, during the First World War, Russia occupied a 350 km front from the Black Sea to Lake Van, while a significant part of the Caucasian Army was pushed forward - deep into Turkish territory. Turkey came up with a tempting plan to outflank the Russian forces, thereby cutting off railway Sarykamysh-Kars.

The tenacity and initiative of the Russians who defended Sarakamysh played a decisive role in the operation, the success of which literally hung by a thread. Unable to take Sarykamysh on the move, two Turkish corps fell into the arms of an icy cold, which became fatal for them.

Turkish troops lost 10 thousand people due to frostbite in just one day, December 14th.

The last Turkish attempt to take Sarykamysh on December 17 was repulsed by Russian counterattacks and ended in failure. At this point, the offensive impulse of the Turkish troops, suffering from frosts and poor supplies, was exhausted.

The turning point has arrived. On the same day, the Russians launched a counteroffensive and drove the Turks back from Sarykamysh. The Turkish military leader Enver Pasha decided to intensify the frontal attack and transferred the main blow to Karaurgan, which was defended by parts of the Sarykamysh detachment of General Berkhman. But here, too, the fierce attacks of the 11th Turkish Corps, advancing on Sarykamysh from the front, were repelled.

On December 19, Russian troops advancing near Sarykamysh completely surrounded the 9th Turkish Corps, frozen by snow storms. Its remnants, after stubborn three-day battles, capitulated. Units of the 10th Corps managed to retreat, but were defeated near Ardahan.

On December 25, General N.N. Yudenich became commander of the Caucasian Army, who gave the order to launch a counteroffensive near Karaurgan. Having thrown back the remnants of the 3rd Army by 30–40 km by January 5, 1915, the Russians stopped the pursuit, which was carried out in a 20-degree cold. And there was almost no one to pursue.

Enver Pasha's troops lost 78 thousand people (over 80% of their personnel) killed, frozen, wounded and captured. Russian losses amounted to 26 thousand people (killed, wounded, frostbitten).

The victory at Sarykamysh stopped Turkish aggression in Transcaucasia and strengthened the position of the Caucasian Army.

17. Brusilovsky breakthrough (1916)

One of the most important operations on the Eastern Front in 1916 was the offensive on the Southwestern Front, designed not only to turn the tide of military operations on the Eastern Front, but also to cover the Allied offensive on the Somme. The result was the Brusilov breakthrough, which significantly undermined the military power of the Austro-Hungarian army and pushed Romania to enter the war on the side of the Entente.

The offensive operation of the Southwestern Front under the command of General Alexei Brusilov, carried out from May to September 1916, became, according to military historian Anton Kersnovsky, “a victory like world war We haven’t won yet.” The number of forces that were involved on both sides is also impressive - 1,732,000 Russian soldiers and 1,061,000 soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies.

18. Khalkhin-Gol operation

Since the beginning of 1939, several incidents between the Mongols and the Japanese-Manchus occurred in the area of ​​​​the border between the Mongolian People's Republic (on whose territory, in accordance with the Soviet-Mongolian protocol of 1936, Soviet troops were located) and the puppet state of Manchukuo, which was actually ruled by Japan. Mongolia, behind which stood the Soviet Union, announced the passage of the border near the small village of Nomon-Khan-Burd-Obo, and Manchukuo, behind which stood Japan, drew the border along the Khalkhin-Gol River. In May, the command of the Japanese Kwantung Army concentrated significant forces at Khalkhin Gol. The Japanese managed to achieve superiority in infantry, artillery and cavalry over the Soviet 57th separate rifle corps deployed in Mongolia. However, Soviet troops had an advantage in aviation and armored forces. Since May, the Japanese held the eastern bank of Khalkhin Gol, but in the summer they decided to cross the river and seize a bridgehead on the “Mongolian” bank.

On July 2, Japanese units crossed the “Manchurian-Mongolian” border officially recognized by Japan and tried to gain a foothold. The command of the Red Army brought into action all the forces that could be delivered to the conflict area. Soviet mechanized brigades, having made an unprecedented forced march through the desert, immediately entered the battle in the area of ​​Mount Bayin-Tsagan, in which about 400 tanks and armored vehicles, over 300 guns and several hundred aircraft took part on both sides. As a result, the Japanese lost almost all of their tanks. During the 3-day bloody battle, the Japanese were pushed back across the river. However, now Moscow was insisting on a forceful solution to the issue, especially since there was a threat of a second Japanese invasion. G.K. Zhukov was appointed commander of the rifle corps. Aviation was strengthened by pilots with experience of fighting in Spain and China. On August 20, Soviet troops went on the offensive. By the end of August 23, Japanese troops were surrounded. An attempt to release this group made by the enemy was repulsed. Those surrounded fought fiercely until August 31. The conflict led to the complete resignation of the command of the Kwantung Army and a change of government. The new government immediately asked the Soviet side for a truce, which was signed in Moscow on September 15.

19. Battle of Moscow (1941-1942)

The long and bloody defense of Moscow, which began in September 1941, moved into the offensive phase on December 5, ending on April 20, 1942. On December 5, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive and German divisions rolled west. The plan of the Soviet command - to encircle the main forces of Army Group Center east of Vyazma - could not be fully implemented. The Soviet troops lacked mobile formations, and there was no experience of a coordinated offensive of such masses of troops.

However, the result was impressive. The enemy was driven back 100–250 kilometers from Moscow, and the immediate threat to the capital, which was the most important industrial and transport hub, was eliminated. In addition, the victory near Moscow had a huge impact psychological significance. For the first time in the entire war, the enemy was defeated and retreated tens and hundreds of kilometers. German general Gunther Blumentritt recalled: “It was now important for German political leaders to understand that the days of the blitzkrieg were a thing of the past. We were confronted by an army whose fighting qualities were far superior to all other armies we had ever encountered.”

20. Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943)

The defense of Stalingrad became one of the most fierce operations of that war. By the end of the street fighting, which lasted from August to November, Soviet troops held only three isolated bridgeheads on the right bank of the Volga; There were 500–700 people left in the divisions of the 62nd Army defending the city, but the Germans failed to throw them into the river. Meanwhile, since September, the Soviet command had been preparing an operation to encircle the German group advancing on Stalingrad.

On November 19, 1942, Soviet troops launched an offensive north of Stalingrad, and the next day - south of it. On November 23, the striking wedges of the Soviet troops met near the city of Kalach, which marked the encirclement of the enemy’s Stalingrad group. 22 enemy divisions (about 300 thousand people) were surrounded. This was the turning point of the entire war.

In December 1942, the German command tried to release the encircled group, but Soviet troops repelled this onslaught. The fighting in the Stalingrad area continued until February 2, 1943. Over 90 thousand enemy soldiers and officers (including 24 generals) surrendered.

Soviet trophies included 5,762 guns, 1,312 mortars, 12,701 machine guns, 156,987 rifles, 10,722 machine guns, 744 aircraft, 166 tanks, 261 armored vehicles, 80,438 cars, 10,679 motorcycles, 240 tractors, 571 tractors, 3 armored trains and other military property .

21. Battle of Kursk (1943)

The Battle of Kursk is one of the greatest in the history of the Great Patriotic War, marking a radical turning point in hostilities. After it, the strategic initiative completely passed into the hands of the Soviet command.

Building on the success achieved at Stalingrad, Soviet troops launched a large-scale offensive on the front from Voronezh to the Black Sea. At the same time, in January 1943, besieged Leningrad was released.

Only in the spring of 1943 did the Wehrmacht manage to stop the Soviet offensive in Ukraine. Although units of the Red Army occupied Kharkov and Kursk, and the advanced units of the Southwestern Front were already fighting on the outskirts of Zaporozhye, German troops, transferring reserves from other sectors of the front, pulling up troops from Western Europe, actively maneuvering mechanized formations, launched a counter-offensive and re-occupied Kharkov. As a result, the front line on the southern flank of the confrontation acquired a characteristic shape, which later became known as the Kursk Bulge.

It was here that the German command decided to inflict a decisive defeat on the Soviet troops. It was supposed to cut it off with blows at the base of the arc, encircling two Soviet fronts at once.

The German command planned to achieve success, including through the widespread use the latest types military equipment. It was on the Kursk Bulge that heavy German Panther tanks and Ferdinand self-propelled artillery guns were used for the first time.

The Soviet command knew about the enemy's plans and deliberately decided to give in strategic initiative to the enemy. The idea was to wear down the Wehrmacht shock divisions in pre-prepared positions and then launch a counteroffensive. And we must admit: this plan was a success.

Yes, not everything went as planned and on the southern front of the arc German tank wedges almost broke through the defense, but on the whole Soviet operation developed according to the original plan. One of the largest tank battles in the world took place in the area of ​​Prokhorovka station, in which over 800 tanks simultaneously took part. Although Soviet troops also suffered heavy losses in this battle, the Germans lost their offensive potential.

More than 100 thousand participants in the Battle of Kursk were awarded orders and medals, more than 180 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In honor of the victory in the Battle of Kursk, an artillery salute was fired for the first time.

22. Capture of Berlin (1945)

The assault on Berlin began on April 25, 1945 and lasted until May 2. Soviet troops had to literally chew through the enemy’s defenses - battles took place for every crossroads, for every house. The city's garrison numbered 200 thousand people, who had about 3,000 guns and about 250 tanks, so the assault on Berlin was an operation quite comparable to the defeat of the encircled German army at Stalingrad.

1st of May new boss The German General Staff, General Krebs, informed Soviet representatives about Hitler's suicide and proposed a truce. However, the Soviet side demanded unconditional surrender. In this situation, the new German government set a course for achieving an early surrender to the Western allies. Since Berlin was already surrounded, on May 2 the commander of the city’s garrison, General Weindling, capitulated, but only on behalf of the Berlin garrison.

It is characteristic that some units refused to carry out this order and tried to break through to the west, but were intercepted and defeated. Meanwhile, negotiations between German and Anglo-American representatives were taking place in Reims. The German delegation insisted on the surrender of troops on western front, hoping to continue the war in the east, but the American command demanded unconditional surrender.

Finally, on May 7, the unconditional surrender of Germany was signed, which was to occur at 23.01 on May 8. On behalf of the USSR, this act was signed by General Susloparov. However, the Soviet government considered that the surrender of Germany should, firstly, take place in Berlin, and secondly, be signed by the Soviet command.

23. Defeat of the Kwantung Army (1945)

Japan during World War II was an ally of Nazi Germany and waged a war of conquest with China, during which all known types of weapons were used mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons.

Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet troops at Far East Marshal Vasilevsky was appointed. In less than a month, Soviet troops defeated the million-strong Kwantung Army stationed in Manchuria and liberated all of Northern China and part of Central China from Japanese occupation.

The Kwantung Army was fought by a highly professional army. It was impossible to stop her. Military textbooks include the operation of Soviet troops to overcome the Gobi Desert and the Khingan Range. In just two days, the 6th Guards Tank Army crossed the mountains and found itself deep behind enemy lines. During this outstanding offensive, about 200 thousand Japanese were captured and many weapons and equipment were captured.

Through the heroic efforts of our soldiers, the “Ostraya” and “Camel” heights of the Khutou fortified area were also taken. The approaches to the heights were in hard-to-reach swampy areas and were well protected by scarps and wire fences. The Japanese firing points were carved into granite rock.

The capture of the Hutou fortress cost the lives of over a thousand Soviet soldiers and officers. The Japanese did not negotiate and rejected all calls for surrender. During the 11 days of the assault, almost all of them died, only 53 people surrendered.

As a result of the war, the Soviet Union regained the territories lost Russian Empire in 1905 following the results of the Portsmouth Peace, but Japan’s loss of the South Kuril Islands has not yet been recognized. Japan capitulated, but the peace treaty with Soviet Union was not signed.